There has been a decision made in the Oregon Dunes NRA Management Area 10 (C) Designated Routes Project. This has been a long, on-going project and many have wondered if it would ever get a final decision.
Jeremiah Ingersoll, the Siuslaw National Forest supervisor, said, “Based on my review of the alternatives and environmental impacts described in the Oregon Dunes NRA Management Area 10 (C) Designated Routes Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the comments on the DEIS submitted by other agencies and the public, the evaluation of objections submitted during the objection period, and other information available in the project record, I made a decision on Jan. 29 to proceed with Modified Alternative 4. I have selected Modified Alternative 4 because this alternative best balances public recreation access with environmental protection in Management Area 10 (C) while bringing on-the-ground management and the Dunes Plan into alignment.”
Ingersoll suggests those interested in why he made that decision should refer to the Record of Decision (ROD) for a description of Modified Alternative 4.
The following summarizes Modified Alternative 4 as analyzed in the FEIS.
Modified Alternative 4 will:
- Designate an additional 2.3 miles of trails.
- Reallocate 518 acres of Management Area 10 (C) to Management Area 10 (B), opening these lands to cross country OHV use. This area contains 46 miles of user-developed routes.
The FEIS and ROD are posted on the Siuslaw National Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=34220. However, we found it faster at times to Google the Oregon Dunes NRA Management Area 10 (C) Designated Routes Project and get to the information that way as we had trouble getting the website listed above to open on a regular basis. There are also maps that show the affected areas.
Synchrony Financial, KYMCO USA Partner To Provide Consumer Installment Financing
Synchrony Financial, a premier consumer financial services company with 80 years of retail heritage, announced a new, multi-year agreement to provide installment lending programs with KYMCO, a leading manufacturer in the motorsports industry for more than 50 years.
KYMCO USA distributes scooters, ATVs and side-by-sides available through more than 600 dealer locations nationwide. The agreement will provide installment financing for purchasers of new and used KYMCO products, strengthening Synchrony Financial’s position in the powersports market.
“Consumers looking to make major purchases such as the products that KYMCO USA sells are diligent when making these decisions and the availability of promotional financing plays a key role in that thought process,” said Stephen Motta, general manager, Powersports, Synchrony Financial. “Our research shows that powersports consumers are primarily driven by quality products, but the availability of financing is a critical component of the purchasing decision.”
A 2014 study commissioned by Synchrony Financial of powersports customers explores the path to purchase and shows that, while value is important, the majority of shoppers choose a brand based on quality and trust. Further, consumers surveyed said installment financing allows them to budget for a large purchase, know what their monthly payments will be and keep other credit lines free for emergency and everyday uses.
"We're pleased to work with Synchrony Financial due to their deep experience and insights into customer trends in the motorsports industry," said Bruce Ramsey, KYMCO USA vice president of Sales and Marketing. "They clearly understand our customers and know how to provide the right financing for them to get the product they want and need."
Kawasaki Announces Executive Management Changes; New President For Motorcycle & Engine Division
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI), the global parent company of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC), has announced several changes to its executive management. The Motorcycle and Engine Company’s current president, Mr. Shigehiko “Scott” Kiyama will be succeeded by Mr. Kenji Tomida, effective April 1, 2015. Mr. Kiyama spent many years working at KMC’s Irvine headquarters where he arrived in 2002 to oversee Kawasaki's planning, vehicle inventory and production management in the United States. He was assigned the duty as KMC’s president at the start of 2006, where he remained until his return to Japan in 2009.
Since July of 2013, the incoming president Mr. Kenji Tomida served as senior vice president and executive officer at KHI as well as general manager of the Corporate Planning Division. His tenure with Kawasaki includes a seven-year period during the late 1980s where he worked in the finance department at KMC’s Irvine headquarters.
KHI also confirms that Mr. Hiroshi Takata, a former president of the Motorcycle & Engine Company, will retire from his current position and remain as a director of KHI, effective April 1, 2015.
(pics: in Industry Dirt folder)
Suzuki Celebrates 14 Years Of Assembling ATVs in US
When opened in 2001, the Suzuki Manufacturing of America Corporation (SMAC) created hundreds of jobs in Rome, GA, to assemble Suzuki’s 400cc and 500cc ATVs. Now celebrating 14 years of ATV assembly, the facility today has expanded to cover more than 130,000 square feet on a 35-acre site in the suburb northwest of Atlanta. Workers there now handle metal fabrication, injection molding and engine assembly in the process of assembling Suzuki’s complete line of award-winning KingQuad ATVs.
To commemorate the special anniversary, Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart, leaders of the RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing Supercross team, toured the facility with the Fox Sports 1 TV crew leading up to the AMA Supercross race in Atlanta. Carmichael, multi-time supercross champ and Suzuki rider, cut the 14th anniversary cake. He and Hart joined the SMAC employees in celebration of the event and the two signed autographs at the facility.
The SMAC facility’s recent addition of engine assembly makes Suzuki even more responsive to the needs of its dealers and customers in 52 countries around the world. The expansion also adds manufacturing jobs in this northwest Georgia town and reaffirms Suzuki’s commitment to building KingQuad ATVs in the United States.
